The present invention relates to a spout fitment for transferring liquids into and out of a flexible container.
Flexible and collapsible containers are commonly used for containing and dispensing a variety of foods, beverages, personal care, cleaning, and other similar products. For example, such a spout fitment is typically used in many single-serving pouches of fruit juice.
Fitments are often used to provide a spout for pouring liquids into and out of flexible containers. Such fitments can be attached to flexible containers to provide a smooth transition between the flexible container and the dispensing spout and particularly to prevent leakage, or the transfer of liquid by any route other than the spout. Such a fitment can be molded or made from a polymeric material that can be heat-sealed, sonic-welded, or otherwise attached to the flexible container.
There is a particular need for fitments that attach easily and securely to flexible containers and can withstand stress placed on the flexible container at the places where it attaches to the fitment. Poorly sealed fitments can be subject to leakage where the fitment attaches to the flexible container, or cause the container to fail altogether.
A problem associated with some fitments is incomplete contact between the connecting surfaces of the flexible container and the fitment, which can result in the formation of air pockets or hollow spaces that prevent the complete sealing of a flexible container to a fitment. Some flexible containers are sealed to fitments along series of spaced ribs, where the spaced ribs can have sharp corners that impede the adherence of the flexible container to the length of the ribs.
A related problem is that areas of connection that include large surface areas may receive insufficient amounts of sonic welding, heating, pressure, or other forms of adhesion, resulting in incomplete bonding at the attachment site. Alternatively, attempts to seal smooth areas on a spout fitment to a polymer, or other material used to make a flexible container, may fail where the surface is insufficiently smooth and gives rise to unsealed pockets or areas.
There is a need for an improved spout fitment that ensures the formation of a tight and stable connection between the fitment and the flexible container.